by tessa
I’m wearing these completely adorable blue shoes today. Wait, that’s a lie. These perfectly adorable new blue shoes are sitting BESIDE my newly enraged and be-blistered feet.
Shoes always fit perfectly well at the store and NEVER fit the next day when you actually wear them. Is it that you just want them to fit in the store? I mean I get that you try them on for 15 seconds and take maybe five steps versus wearing them for eight hours and tromping around endlessly (or sitting at your desk playing on the web accomplishing nothing).
Still, I wonder if there isn’t some sort of Demented Orbit of Denial that we enter when we try on shoes, clothes, jewelry, glasses, makeup, hairstyles, whatever. Part of us still believes that this one magical change will somehow transport us into being The Better Self we truly believe lurks beneath The Crappy Albeit Temporary Self of the Present Who Still Has the Potential to be Completely Awesome.
Why do we keep believing it? Do we ever lose that certainty? I’m not sure whether or not I want to lose it. I mean it’s an expression of a fruitless and immature pining for something that will never be, but who are we without at least a tiny glimmer of hope that somehow we can be a better/thinner/prettier/braver/smarter self?
Tessa, you’ve brought up a lot of issues – many of which I won’t be able to help you with. But it did get me thinking about one experience I had that may assist you. When you buy a pair of running shoes at Dicks Sports you can test them out in the store – on a mini running track they’ve built right there in shoe department. Sure it’s a little embarrassing for my daughters to see their dad do a three or four laps with a pretend tape-breaking finish on each lap. But I’m their dad. And this mini track really works for testing out shoes. So, I was thinking: next time you need some shoes, pants, or jewelry just bring along a few of your co-workers, and your actual work, a few laptops, and a bunch of your issues. Then hang out for a couple of hours and mimic your office environment. Probably after ten minutes you won’t even remember you’re in Macy’s. This will kill two birds with one stone: you’ll surface a few self-esteem issues (with ample feedback), and determine if those pants are in fact a little too tight in the crotch. I know this won’t solve all of the concerns you’ve listed, but maybe it’s a start. If you try it let me know how it goes. Bob.
ReplyDeleteBob, the rest of the world refers to it as "the aisle" not "Bob's personal track to work out high school issues."
ReplyDeleteAnd apparently we can add yet another "issue" to those already reviewed: Bob writing anything about "crotches" pretty much creeped me out. (I'm hoping that it was just the whole Britney episode still too recent in my mind.)
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, the idea of Bob winning his "races" at Dick's -- HYSTERICAL!!!!